Susy Cat Medical

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Okay, so I know for sure now that I am AWFUL at keeping a blog. It has been five months since I last posted. I didn't even have a post for the start of medical school and now I'm already almost half-way through my first year. I have been very busy though (I know that's not an excuse).

Quick recap of the last five months:

-Started medical school. Orientation week was way too long and the "White Coat Ceremony" seemed to strangely resemble a graduation ceremony - I felt I was being congratulated for not doing anything yet!

-First quarter: lots of studying done, wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, probably because I had just reviewed most of these subjects in the post-bac program and during the summer prep course. My school is weird and doesn't do anatomy the first year. All we did was basic science (immunology, biochemistry, etc.). Found myself falling mostly in the middle of the curve except for immunology where I surprised myself by getting 100% on one of the midterms. Wow. I'd be amazed if that ever happened again. We also did some pharm and some "how to be a good doctor" classes

-Started to solidify a good group of friends at school, not much of a study group but mostly people that I enjoy hanging out with

-Most importantly: got engaged and then married within three months. Never expected to be a married woman before the end of my first year in medical school. My husband is crazy for taking on the responsibility of being a doctor's spouse. But I'm happy and I hope that he will not get tired of me being so busy all the time. Right now, I'm trying my best to spend as much time with him as possible since I can control more of my schedule compared to the schedules we have in rotation years.

-Started the second quarter of classes. Mostly physiology and more pharm. Still learning "how to be a good doctor" by learning interviewing skills. I feel bad for the students who don't have good people skills.

Anyway, that's just a quick recap. So far, I'm enjoying medical school as much as I can. I've actually never been a big fan of school and studying in general so it's good that I'm still positive about the experience. I've recently found that I have no motivation to go to lectures because they start at 8am (I'm not a morning person), but I'm not alone because the few times that I have gone to lecture I've only seen about 20% of the class there. Sometimes it's just better to go through things on your own at home.

Sorry about the choppiness of this post. I just wanted to get something down because I saw how pathetic my blog looked...like it had been abandoned or something.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Wow, I really have to work on writing in this blog a little more often. I've always had trouble writing my thoughts down for fun, like in a diary or journal, but I'll try to increase the time that I spend here.Anyway, I'm just a couple of weeks away from finally starting medical school. After this past year of post-bac and prep courses I feel so ready to start! We'll see how ready I am when we get there. My thoughts: there have been so many people that have survived medical school, so I can do it too!Right now I'm just enjoying my last couple of weeks of freedom. I'm taking some time to clean my neglected apartment and spend quality time with the boyfriend. Also, trying to catch up with all the blogs that I've committed myself to reading.

Monday, July 2, 2007

Well, it's been a couple of months since I last wrote anything in this blog. Mostly it's because I was taking finals and working my butt off so that I could finish my post-bac program successfully. So, to anyone who cares out there in internet land:I'm finally an official medical student...yay!Not only that but I am really happy with the school that I got accepted to...sorry, I can't tell you which one.So, now I'm just doing some prep work to help me be prepared for the beginning of school in the fall. It's been a long haul and I am so relieved that I finally made it. Well, that was the easy stuff, now the hard part --> learning how to be a good doctor.

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

So I took this cute quiz that tells you what medical field is right for you and here's my result:

The medical specialty for you is.... Surgery

Surgery is the best of all specialties. As a surgeon, you will work hard and be paid well for your efforts. Now that all your cutthroat behavior is finally paying off, you will obtain extreme satisfaction from opening up peoples' bodies and thereby saving their lives. Every once in a while, you'll accidentally sew up the body with your wristwatch inside, but no one will be the wiser.

Funny things is that I've never thought that I would even consider surgery. It takes up too much time and I'm not willing to give up a family life for a career. We'll see what I actually go into. I'm curious myself

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

So, one of the requirements of the program that I am in is that I have to volunteer 4 hours a week in an underrepresented area. So, I started volunteering. Honestly, I don't really enjoy volunteering. I don't know about you but it is not appealing to me to stand/sit around a clinic for hours while other people do their jobs and then every now and then get asked to go retrieve something from the closet out back. It just feels like a big waste of my time. Granted, if I wasn't volunteering I'd be just wasting my time at home, on the internet, playing video games, watching TV, reading a book...whatever, the point it is would be my free time...my precious free time! I know that I'm going to be very busy once I start medical school and I'd like to spend my free time doing what I like to do for myself! I also don't like that volunteering seems to be the thing you have to do to make yourself "stand out" as a medical school applicant. I don't understand how doing something that everyone else is doing makes you stand out.anyway, that's my rant about volunteering. I do have to mention that volunteers are great and that some things can't get done without people who volunteer...good for them.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Well, I've come to the conclusion that I need to enjoy these next few months because they might be the last that I will be capable of enjoying. My post-bac program is done in June and this quarter is the easiest of them all. I just have a couple of classes to take and one of them is not even really graded (it is pass/fail). So, I have some extra time on my hands that I will definitely enjoy before med school starts and I am not able to see any of my friends anymore.It's kind of funny too because one of my classmates is one of these overachievers who studies every chance he gets and he still seems to be busting his ass for this quarter. I can see myself getting really annoyed with him in the next few years. He's one of those med students that likes pimping everyone because it helps him remember better. Ugh, leave me alone.Anyway, my point is, I'm happy right now. I hope that lasts for a while.

Thursday, April 5, 2007

So, I've always told myself that I would never have a blog...but here I am. We'll see how this goes. I decided to start this blog because I will be soon starting one of the most difficult tasks a person can endure...medical school. I've read and heard many things about medical school and post medical education and I have concluded that it is all very terrible; but, for some reason I am still compelled to go throught with it. This blog is for me, because I know that I will need to express myself sometimes and will not always be able to do it to the people around me. So, here it is for all the world to see, my thoughts and opinions about what I will be going through in medical school.

For those of you who stumble upon my blog (which I'm sure will be accidentally) I'm sorry if it is not as entertaining as you hoped! I've never considered myself a creative person or a very good writer so I'm sorry that you will have to endure my boring posts. I am trying to keep this blog as anonymous as possible. I've heard that this is very difficult to do so we will see if I succeed. However, out of courtesy to those who read this, I guess I should say a few things about myself: I am a young woman preparing to begin medical school at a popular west coast university. I am finishing up a post-bac program because I have been out of school for a few years since I received my B.A. I have a vague idea of what specialty I want to go into only because when I tell people I'm going to become a doctor the first question I get is "Oh, really, what kind?" So, I'm forced to think about it. Basically, I'm thinking of trying to survive through some kind of primary care specialty. Even though it is not as glamorous as other specialties like surgery, dermatology, or anasthesiology, primary care keeps calling my name. Maybe something a little more specialized like OB-Gyn or psychiatry. I really don't know.Well, I'm sure as time goes on I will reveal more about myself, for now, I just know that I both dread and look forward to my first day of medical school.